Pokemon: A New Start
by maxdowt
Summary: Meri is 18 and just starting on her pokemon journey. She has made a wonderful discovery that could benefit trainers everywhere and needs to make her own way to the people who can make the possibility into a reality. It's a different region that features pokemon from all over, new professors, and new characters. It's adding to the already expansive world of Pokemon.
1. Chapter 1

While some children harbored dreams of adventure with their Pokemon, Meri chose to stay at home and study. This was not an uncommon decision and most parents actually preferred having their children learn of the powers pokemon held while still at home instead of sending them off to decide their future at younger ages. While growing up, Meri was fascinated by the technology that surrounded her. The glowing screens of Pokecoms and PCs invoked a certain wonder in her small eyes that followed her into her teenage years. As her piers set out on their adventures at young ages, Meri wanted nothing more than to play with gizmos and gadgets and figure out how they worked.

As fascinated as she was with technology, Meri had no real preference towards any particular type of pokemon. All of them had useful skills which made every single one of them worth looking at. At age 12, Meri's parents worried that she would be an adventurous sort that ran off with a starter provided for her like a few of her friends had. They shouldn't have worried, as she just wished to learn to identify pokemon and what made them unique. She studied books and blogs and put all of the useful information into her mind to be used later. By age 15, Meri knew an awful lot about pokemon and continued to study more about them. She could be found at the school house or helping the professor in her lab.

By age 18, Meri had completed her classes. She had helped countless other young trainers start their own pokemon journeys and yet had never really started on her own. One day, she decided that she would change that. It was a normal day for everyone else in her hometown, yet Meri had just made a shocking breakthrough in her cataloging and storage system programming. She realized that she could carry her pokemon database with her by using a combination of the PC database, the Pokecom, and the pokedex entry system. Her parents were not aware of this and were shocked whenever they heard excessive movement and clatter from their daughter's bedroom.

Clothes were laid out in piles on every available surface, apparently by oufit and type. Books that had been in the shelves were now in boxes by the shelves. Meri was clicking away on the PC. The only things that seemed less cluttered was the one thing that always had remained cluttered in the past; Meri's work-station for her gizmo and gadget dissection was clean. Meri's father awkwardly cleared his throat. Meri turned after clicking on the keyboard a few times, a huge grin splitting her face.

"Mom, dad, I did it!"

Her mother nodded her head. "If what you did was destroy your room, then I congratulate you on your accomplishment because you did a fine job of that."

Meri turned and looked at the mess as if it were nothing. "This? Don't worry about it. Once I get everything into the PC, this room will be spotless. Mom, this is so much more! I finally figured out a way for trainers in the field to access their database without aid of a PC! This could revolutionize everything! Of course, you can still only hold six on your person at a time, and you need to keep up with charging it, but with minor tweaking this could go on the market!" She held up her wrist right under her father's nose. "Come on dad, tell her what a great thing this is!"

After looking at it cross eyed for a moment, he adjusted his daughter's arm so that he could see the device attached to her arm better. With its mismatched surface, there was no denying that pieces of their old home PC, her Pokecom, and a Pokedex had gone into this newest device. It also looked like she had taken the liberty of putting 6 of the family pokemon into her gadget for final testing, as they showed up on the illuminated screen.

"So that's where electrike was when I needed him to recharge the remote batteries..." her father sounded disheartened. She snatched her wrist away with a playful smile and pushed a button on the side of the gadget. A pokeball seemed to appear in her hand out of nowhere. Her father released the puppy-like creature form its portable home, it's everstone collar jingling a bit as it shook itself out to properly to get the static flowing again. Her mother stood next to Meri and watched as she did the same with the others. "Since I only put six in there, you can't really see what happens, but you can only have six out at a time, just like with the PC system. You'll just have to trust me on that."

"That is wonderful, Meri, but what does that have to do with all of ...this?" Her mother gestured around the room in an exaggerated fashion, being careful not to drop any of the pokeballs that she had relieved from her daughter. "Oh," Meri said, as if the answer to her mother's question were obvious,"I'm going, mom. I'm going to the research lab across the region. Once I earn enough money, maybe I can get this thing manufactured. I'm finally starting my journey, mom."

Her father turned in shock. His little girl was going out there on some wild adventure. It scared him a little bit, even though he knew that this was a right of passage that he and her mother had both been through. As crazy as it seemed, he had chosen to breed pokemon while his wife had beaten a few gyms before getting it enough out of her system and settling in this town where Meri had been born and grown up. Almost 20 years and she was just now deciding to venture out?

"Don't worry about the pokemon thing. I have it set up with the Professors Spruce. They said that they are proud of me and they would be more than happy to help me find my first one. It's all set up and ready to go!"

"So, Mr. and knew about you leaving before we did?" her mother looked incredulous.

"Yeah, sorry mom. This is...This is just a big deal and it's really exciting. I'm ready. I'm finally ready. This is my adventure."


	2. Chapter 2

Meri had finished packing exactly as she had said; it didn't take her very long at all. She packed a few outfits in her pack, but the rest of her items went into the PC as individually named packages. "Winter outfits" for colder regions, "books on pokemon" for whenever she needed to do research. Everything fit into the matter-to-data converting system. Everything on the PC, which could be linked to her now portable device that she wore around her wrist. After everything was finished, she went downstairs where her parents had sat at the dinner table, the family pokemon sitting around them.

She sat down in the empty seat next to her father and across from her mother. "I know that most kids go off on their adventures and then settle down. It's natural to travel around and collect or trade, win badges or competitions, but these are usually for younger kids. Yeah, well, I'm finally ready." Her parents smiled at each other. "Actually," her mother started, looking at her daughter with adoring eyes, "It's not uncommon. Some of the best of the best did leave home early, but many of the best also left later. It just depends on the person really." Her father looked away from her as he spoke. "I...I believe that whatever you believe you can do, you will do. Your decisions are your own and you're technically an adult now. Just...just call home every now and again, alright? The calling function isn't disabled on your, um, doohickey, is it?" Meri started to tear up a little bit from her father's floundering words of encouragement. She held up her wrist and pressed a button on the front of the device. Her father's pokecom started to ring. He picked it up, smiling despite the tears in his eyes.

"I love you dad. And you too, mom. Just because I'm leaving on my own adventure doesn't mean you won't be a huge part of it."

Meri left the house at eight o'clock am. She arrived at the Pokemon lab that doubled as the home of the Professors Spruce in a matter of minutes. She hesitated before knocking on the door. "Come in, come in!" said one of the familiar aids that she had made friends with over the years. "I can't believe you're actually starting out! I thought you'd become a gadget master, or maybe even a professor yourself. Hold on, I'll get the Spruces." The flustered aid ran off to find the married couple while Meri wandered over to the main room of the lab where the pokeballs and starters were kept. A good sized group of teenagers and older adults were awkwardly hanging around, some already grouping off while others stared around trying to gouge everyone on their ability or age. While the Avita region was rather large and had a few professors dotted throughout, this was the most popular of the labs due to its practically central location and unique program for getting trainers started on their pokemon journeys, no matter how far along they were in their walks of life.

She sat down in her usual seat which had remained unclaimed due to its location beside a rather large bookshelf. How many times had she sat in this seat, reading while others began their own adventures? Now that it was her turn, she found herself a bit nervous. This place was where she had grown up, and though she knew quite a bit about pokemon and the region she lived in, she couldn't stop herself from wondering if she had made a poor decision, if maybe she wasn't ready. Her invention was great, but did she really have to do this? couldn't she just borrow a flying pokemon...?

A sudden tap on the shoulder startled her back to the present, away from the imagined future of failure. "Hey," said a red-haired girl that looked to be about her age, "Mind if I hang over here?" Meri shook her head a little too enthusiastically, making the girl chuckle a bit as she pulled one of the folding chairs over. "Nervous, huh? Trust me, I get you completely. This room holds only a few people fewer than my home town, and I'm not exaggerating at all. Where you from?" "Around here, actually. I'm good friends with the Spruces." The other girl looked a bit shocked. "Wow! And here I thought I was talking to a fellow small-towner! Secluding yourself over here away from everyone else, you sure had me fooled!" She let out a boisterous laugh that made Meri feel like laughing too. She smiled shyly at the more extroverted girl. "Well, you know what they say about assuming! See now, I bet your assuming isn't as embarrassing as mine because I'm pretty easy to read. I decided to stay at home, helping my parents at the ranch with the miltank, tauros, and bouffalant, and a couple of years turned into a few, so now her I am, getting a bit of a late start. I'm wanting to be a pokemon nurse. What are you here for?"

Before Meri could even start to talk, the door burst open in the traditionally over-dramatic fashion that the Spruces always started with. Before shifting her attention towards the "main attraction," the red-haired girl turned to Meri. "I'm Zoe, by the way. Let's meet up again after all of this." "I'm Meri," Meri got out before Baynor Spruce spoke out in a voice that quieted the entire room despite being soft and sincere.

"Quiet, now, quiet all. It's time to start," said the large man, his equally large lab coat flapping in the air created by his tiny wife, who moved quickly and spoke at a pace to match. "Yes! Yes! Do as he says everyone! We'll give you a short introduction, then we'll split you off into groups after the orientation!" She clapped her small, plump hands together as she bustled up to the front, in front of all of the folding chairs. Her husband bumbled along behind her. If Janey Spruce was a butterfree, then Baynor Spruce was a hulking yet gentle tyranitar that had to measure each of its steps to avoid harming anything unintentionally. They were quite a pair, the Spruces, yet nobody could ever doubt how well they went together despite their differences.

"Okay dear, it's your turn to start," tiny Janey said, looking up at her husband with a smile in her eyes that spilled out into her face like rays of sunshine. Baynor coughed, somewhat flustered. Meri knew that no matter how many times he had said the introduction, Baynor would still be nervous. Janey constantly broke her shy husband out of his shell, and knowing this and being familiar with the speech, Meri finally felt calm.

"Welcome to the world of pokemon!" Baynor started, his voice picking up and echoing across the large room of the lab, bouncing back towards the listeners and automatically putting them to ease. He had a soothing voice that seemed like it was made for calming large crowds and his inflection made him interesting to listen to. "I am Professor Spruce, and this is my wife, who is also Professor Spruce. You may call us Baynor and Janey. The world you are about to embark on an adventure into is filled with wonderful creatures called pokemon. These creatures have wonderful abilities of varying types and intensities and can be caught, trained, and befriended by almost anyone. They help keep us safe, power our houses, they make our lives easier, and they are essential to every journey, no matter what it is for." He pulled out a pokeball that was dwarfed by the size of his large hands. A munchlax popped out and looked around, not at all disoriented by the large crowd. "These pokemon aid us in our day to day lives, and you are all about to venture out into a world full of them! So welcome, young and old, to a wonderful and bright world! Today, your journeys shall begin!"


	3. Chapter 3

After the introduction, Janey clapped her hands together. "Alright, now I want you all to separate in to lines based on whether you are a boy or a girl right in front of this table over here! Write your name on the pads and then grab your number. This is to ensure there are equal numbers of boys and girls in each group. You will be assigned to two seasoned trainers that have already completed what they wished to on their journeys. These two will act as your mentors through the process of catching your first pokemon! Now, line up and do as I said! Hurry hurry!"

Zoe stood with a lot of the more bold newcomers, throwing a wave back to Meri, who stayed seated. The lines would be long and it would take the same amount of time whether she stood in the line or waited for it to go down. Meri thought about how the Avita region was unique in its processes with dealing with people just starting their journey. She thought that this way made the most sense. Since newcomers were more likely to be a little bit nervous starting out, putting them into separate groups, or "families," usually put them at ease. It let future trainers know that they weren't alone and opened the door to dependable future friendships and not leaving them feeling as if they were all alone in this big wide world. It also allowed each person to catch their first pokemon instead of just handing it to them, building a bond right off the bat between trainer and pokemon. The main reason that this lab was the most popular in the region was because of the vast number of pokemon that you could start with, for behind the lab was an enormous area stocked of first evolution and baby pokemon that would make excellent partners but were never actually used as starters elsewhere. As soon as the families were assigned, they would all go into the safari-zone-like fields and each person would be able to encounter pokemon in a wild simulation.

Since the types were always rotated, Meri didn't know which pokemon she would catch as her starter. The pokemon were not entirely wild, as they couldn't catch food for themselves and were thus supplied with some, but they weren't exactly tame. If one of the pokemon evolved in there, they were usually adopted out or were trained by an aid to help around the lab. All in all, it was a good system and Meri appreciated it rather than being forced onto the road with a limited decision between three creatures that she would be forced to choose between, and each with only one type... She twiddled her thumbs for a few minutes, then went and stood in the now shorter line for girls.

When she got to the front, Janey smiled in her bright and cheery way. "I really can't believe little Meri is leaving us. Can you, dear?" she asked, nudging her husband with a little elbow. "Huh? No, no, I can't. You've been here longer than we have, Meri. Hard to see you leave, but it's a big decision and what you have with you, and what's in store for you...those are big too." Baynor cleared his throat and asked the next boy in his line to sign his name on the electronic pad. Janey nodded. "I couldn't have said it better myself. I bet you're a little nervous. Well, don't be, dear! You have a very bright future and the whole world is your clamperl. Now that you've signed in, go ahead and wait with the others. Just a few more and you'll all be put into groups. How exciting!"

Meri smiled to herself as she joined the large crowd. She wondered who would be her family, how she would get along with them. Her mom and dad had started out elsewhere in the region, on different sides in fact, but they both still remained close friends with theirs. In fact, Auntie Penny wasn't even her actual aunt, just her mother's best friend and "sister" from the beginning of her journey. Meri hoped that she could find friends like that. She thought that she would probably need them, since the road ahead would be long.

Janey clapped her hands and smiled, bustling forward with the munchlax that had come from Baynor's pokeball at the beginning of the orientation stumbling along behind her. Meri smiled, thinking _That's right, he always hides under the table during sign up time_. "Some of you have searched out for people that have the same number as you already and tried to make friends. You started all too soon! You will actually be in a group of six with people that do not have the same numbers as you do! In the next room are your Mum and Pop, or your leaders. You don't have to call them that, but whatever you do, be sure to show them respect! They have all been on varying types of journeys, some to battle and others to find themselves and what they love doing, and all of them are here to help you start yours off right!" Baynor stepped over, gently picking up the munchlax in his big hands to avoid tripping over him or having the little thing trip over his own feet. "Inside there you'll receive further instruction on how you will receive your starter. Remember that often times, the pokemon will pick you before you pick them. Treat the pokemon with respect as well. Now, move along into the next room and find a family without the same numbers as you."

The mass moved through the doorway into a room that looked like it was more of a hallway. Meri had been in here countless times, but never when it was full like this. Mums and Pops stood around with each other, greeting people that were bold enough to find them and checking their numbers. Meri stood frozen for a moment, unable to really move around. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned suddenly. "Hi there! You looked nervous, so I thought I'd rescue you. Hope you don't mind. Let me mark off your number." The brown haired woman looked a little plain yet sporty, with a kind face and a bit of a tan. She was soft spoken but obviously confident enough in herself to approach people. Meri smiled with relief and followed the woman, who was probably in her mid to late twenties, over to an already forming group. Two boys had already been drawn in by the athletic looking man that had an easy-going grin on his face, and she could see that Zoe had found her way into her group. She gave the red-haired girl a high-five whenever she held her hand up and smiled, glad to have at least one other person that she knew she could get along with. That left only two openings.

Their pop waved away a few boys until a tall man with glasses sidled over, his smile lighting up his face with obvious anticipation and enthusiasm. After checking his number, the Pop of the group nodded and signaled him over with a wave. One more opening, one more girl. Meri stood between Zoe and their Mum, nodding as she listened to Zoe's stories of her hopes and ambitions. A slim, dark-haired girl wandered over, looking a little lost. Their Mum checked her number and herded her over so that they all formed a circle. Meri looked around at this group of people that would be her support for the first few days of her pokemon journey and, hopefully, the rest of her life. Two of the boys had glasses, the tall one, who looked a few years older than her and a shorter one that was only a little taller than she was and looked a little younger. The other one had black hair that was already thinning and looked utterly disinterested in the whole ordeal. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. The slim girl looked very nervous but she looked confident in herself at least as she immediately hit it off with Zoe. Their Mum and Pop stood in the center, both of them exuding different essences of calm. The Pop clapped his hands.

"Hey children, It's time to get started. We'll introduce each other first and then we'll be all set to get started on each of your journeys. How exciting! Alright guys, lets crowd around a little closer, don't be shy, we're family. Now, tell us your names..."


	4. Chapter 4

The introductions took a few minutes because the Parents decided that a game to get to know each other was in order. They grouped in a circle and had each person introduce themselves. One person was then put in the middle. They would start off with someone's name, and that person had to hurry and say another person's name before the person in the middle got to them, or else they would be in the middle. Meri had always loved those types of games, though she had always played it with assigned names of pokemon to each person. She picked up the names rather quickly. Tall and skinny with glasses was Vincent, their Mum was Steffanie, skinny girl with dark hair was Sammie, short boy with glasses was John, the older man who had previously been utterly disinterested in everything was Hunter, their Pop was Tristen, and of course there was Zoe. Around and around they went, getting more competitive and all of them laughing and out of breath by the end of it as they tried to rush out names before getting bowled over.

After everyone was tired and a little more familiar with each other ,and all of the groups were done with getting to know their family members, the PA system in the room rang out over their heads. Janey's voice practically yelled out from the intercom. _"Everyone! It's time to go! Your families are all numbered from one to twelve. This is the order you will go into the Pokemon Zone to catch your starting pokemon and your life-long companion on your journey! Best of luck! Now, enter the catching area, group one."_

Meri was in group 8, which she didn't mind too much. She liked her Family, and the way all of them could get to know and relate to each other despite being complete strangers made her very happy. She smiled to herself as she looked around. "Hey, what's that?" John was pointing at the device around her wrist, which she had been unconsciously fidgeting with. "It's, uh, just a modified pokedex," she said, suddenly aware of the enormity of her discovery. It wasn't that she had any reason to distrust any of the people in her new Family, it was just that this device was so important. All of a sudden the reality of what she was doing and why she was doing it crashed down on her. She was starting on a journey so that she could travel to the research area across the region on a sort of pilgrimage. She was going to earn money and become strong enough to be taken seriously.

John seemed to sense her change in attitude and smiled at her. "You know, it looks pretty cool. Don't worry, everything will work out in the end. Which pokemon are you hoping to get." He had given her a way out of what was bound to be an awkward silence. She mentally shook all of the bad thoughts out of her head and took the chance to continue down a new route of a conversation."Since I worked here quite a bit, I know that choosing one particular pokemon is kind of silly. I like keeping my eyes open." John smiled. "Wow. See, I know exactly what I want. A growlithe. Arcanine is a freaking boss. You could ride that thing into battle! Come on, you don't even have a favorite pokemon to pretend you could get?" Meri shook her head. "Not even a favorite type." John huffed a little bit, leaning back so that arms held him up in his position on the ground. "You're no fun. You know what, by the end of this you will find your favorite. I'm sure of it!" "We talking favorite pokemon types over here? I'm going with normal." Zoe had joined their conversation with ease. "Yeah, you grew up on a farm, right? Loads of normal types there. I just like specific pokemon. Going with one type is poor strategy." Meri smiled and nodded. Finally someone got it. Number six in line was being called to go in, and the room was half-way empty. Vincent scooched over so that he was sitting in their little group, making the circle a little more one-sided. "Hey, Meri, you've worked here, right? How do they pick the pokemon to go into the starter area?" Everyone was now looking at Meri, waiting for an answer, her Mum and Pop included. Since they were only volunteers, they didn't have the benefit of knowing the ins and outs of how the lab worked.

Suddenly the center of attention, Meri faltered. "Um, well, usually they choose pokemon that are typically good-natured and they put a lot of triple evolutions in there, but they usually pick ones that aren't typical. You might come across a charmander or a froakie, but odds are you'll come across pokemon that have different types besides the basic ones. Since Janey studies pokemon with two stages in evolution, like doduo, there are a lot of those kinds. Baynor studies baby evolutions, which is convenient since we all need a pokemon in its first stage...That's sort of how it goes. A lot of pokemon are from adoptions after the rangers catch too many in an outbreak and need relocation or something. It's pretty random, but there's a bit of a system I guess."

Vincent seemed pleased. "So, there's a chance of getting a single evolution?" "Yeah, it's happened a lot." Sammie looked a little skeptical. "Why would you choose a single evolution pokemon? Don't most people want one that gets more powerful?" Hunter cleared his throat as if he wanted to answer. He had a bad attitude at the start for having to deal with a group of young people, but he had warmed up to them. They had all realized that he was awfully shy, so they gave him their undivided attention whenever he spoke. "Single evolution pokemon stay consistent. They're already in their strongest form. For someone like me, who isn't really going on any adventure but just wants to start out and get their trainers' permit for business, health, and safety reasons, a single evolution pokemon is great. You don't have to worry about them suddenly getting bigger or more powerful on you." Zoe nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty close to how it felt on the farm. I can't imagine having a small dainty thing and suddenly BAM! Huge tauros reeking havoc and tearing down the fence."

The PA buzzed again. _Group eight, it's your turn! Please enter the area, and happy catching!_


	5. Chapter 5

Meri had been into the catching area many, many times over the years, but there was something different about coming into this place with the mindset of catching your very first pokemon. While her Family was overcome by how huge the place was (It went on and on into fields with various terrain types, like a mini-region in the lab's backyard), Meri was overcome by nostalgia. The feeders within each area reminded her of all the times that she had fed these possible starters. The different terrains made her remember all of the times she would come hiking out here to find pokemon that had evolved with one of the aids. She smiled, suddenly comfortable in this area despite the people around her that were practically strangers.

Tristen stood at the front and clapped his hands together. "Already children, we're about the embark. Don't just throw a ball at the first pokemon you see. Since there's not a guaranteed catch out here, it'd be best to try and get close to the pokemon you want first. If it runs away, it probably isn't right for you, or you can maybe find another one that has a different nature and would enjoy going on a journey with you. Take your time, but remember that we can go further in and see more types!" Steffanie smiled at them all. "Alrighty, here are some of the balls that the lab gave us. It's all free, but don't use too many, okay? We'll all do one random encounter together and then you guys can go within shouting distance to find your own. Ready? Here's one over here."

The Family made their way over to some tall grass off to the side where a rustling sound was coming form. Tristen trudged in on one side to spook whatever pokemon was hiding out. A friendly looking farfetch'd trundled out of the brush. Hunter moved forward a bit, asking if he could be the example since this seemed like exactly his type. Steffanie nodded but added, "Just remember that you can only keep one, so if you end up not wanting this one you'll end up being worse off." Hunter nodded with a smile. "I know. This one just seems...right." The older man walked slowly towards the bird pokemon in probably the least hunter-like stance anyone in the Family had ever seen. The farfetch'd didn't seem to see him as a threat and waddled over, carrying its stick in its mouth to get a better view of the balding gentleman. Hunter looked nervous as he got closer; it was a wild pokemon, after all. One wing-attack could send him spinning. He slowly bent down and held out his hand. The pokemon stopped for a moment, but came closer to inspect him, its beak touching his palm for a moment before looking at him, as if it were asking where on earth the food that was supposed to be there could be right now. Hunter stood up slowly, his hands shaking as he took out a pokeball. The farfethch'd didn't react whenever he started fiddling with it, trying to get it to grow so that he could throw it. After situating it, he finally did throw it, a good throw too, right at the pokemon. The farfetch'd was in the pokeball for one, two, three blinks. Data accepted.

Hunter happily picked up the pokeball and looked at it. "It's warm," he said, in awe of what had just happened. Tristen looked all around pleased. "Great job! Not all pokemon will be as approachable as this farfetch'd, and it's not as easy as Hunter here made it look to throw the ball. It may take more than one try for most of you. Happy catching! Be close enough that if you need help, we can be there in a flash."

After that, the Family spread out a little bit. Meri went to her favorite spot, a high plane area that usually had trees around to sit under. The pokemon there were usually different from the others, choosing to be alone rather than to group together in wild teams. Meri figured that this made them easier to catch, or that they would at least get along better. She walked around outside of the grass before trekking into it. It was taller than she was by a hair and it moved with a sound like curtains parting. She stopped, listened for rustling, then moved on. She did this throughout, but nothing showed for it. She knew that she would have time. She could hear Zoe hooting and hollering from a ways away. Sammie was yelling out for help a little bit closer. She let the sounds move around her without moving, her eyes shut as she took in the sunshine, the smells, and every sense that she could form her surroundings. It was very peaceful until something brushed against her face. She opened her eyes and saw something heart shaped that seemed to be floating in front of her eyes. She realized that it was actually a tendril dangling from what looked like a string. Peering up, she realized what it was.

A lone drifloon hovered in the air above her head, looking down at her as if she were very interesting. Drifloon weren't known to be particularly bold, so Meri thought about what could have brought this little guy out. She figured out that it was probably because she was so still. Maybe it thought that something was wrong with her, or was intrigued because usually everyone else was so loud. She hadn't been in the area for a few weeks, so she might have been the only one it had been willing to encounter since it had gotten there. She reached up and brushed its heart shaped tendril lightly, getting it out of her face. It floated a little higher, surprised by the contact, but it stayed close to its object of fascination. She slowly backed out of the tall grass, her heart soaring as the balloon pokemon followed her out. She didn't know if it knew her intentions, but she was thrilled to have found such an interesting pokemon here. Drifblim would be an incredible pokemon to have on her future team. She could easily see herself using the pokemon to fly-or maybe float-across the region. She deftly grabbed a pokeball from her belt and made it grow, her hands remembering the practice from calling out the family pokemon back home. She aimed and threw the ball...only to miss. Since drifloon was so airy and floated at an awkward angle, it was hard for her to get a good shot. It didn't seem too bothered by the object shooting past it. She frowned and tried again, this time catching it.

After it shook three times, the grabbed it up, realizing that a smile split her face from ear to ear. "Mum! Pop! I caught mine!"


	6. Chapter 6

The last one to return to the rest of the Family was John. Their Mum and Pop were a little worried, but Meri knew that he was probably on his way back and not in any immediate danger. He seemed hot headed and stubborn, but also adventurous and thoughtful. She had barely known him or any of the others for more than a few hours, but she realized that she fully trusted these people and that she had grown close enough to them that she could recognize them easily. It was strange how quickly she had made friends with the people she had literally be thrown together with just hours before.

She heard John's laugh from a distance and she smiled. There he was, probably running towards them in his excitement. Their Mum and Pop looked relieved. Vincent chuckled and bobbed his head in the direction that John was coming from. "There he is. After this we can all play show and tell and see just what he ran so far off for." Meri had a very good idea as to what John was looking for, and she had a very good guess that he had found it. She rolled the shrunken pokeball in her hands, waiting for him to get there to take her pokemon out again. Though she had gotten hers and seen Hunter catch his, their Parents had said that they should all wait for the others to get there before letting them out, as they would do that in a group exercise to become familiar with technology. What she really wanted to do was register her new friend in her pokedex and put him (or her? It was hard to tell for her, but the pokedex would know) into her new device. It would be a sense of pride for her to see the party screen lit up. Eventually she would be able to switch out party members that could be accessed by the click of a button, but she didn't have any pokemon but drifloon, and it was in her hands in a tiny object that could turn it from a living, breathing organism to living data.

John's footsteps were very close now, and the whole Family could hear him breathing hard from the long run. His smile went from ear to ear and he had a pokeball locked in his grasp. Their Parents feigned disappointment. "We said to stay within shouting distance," their Mum said, putting her hands on her hips and failing to hide the smile in her eyes from his success. "Yeah, I can yell pretty loud," John said between gasps. He collapsed on the grass between Sammie and Meri, taking his glasses off to wipe them. "It was totally worth it," he whispered to Meri, confirming what she had thought before.

Their Pop jumped up and clapped his hands, which was quickly becoming his signal to get moving. "Alrighty, kiddos, let's do a quick little exercise with all of your new pokemon!" John groaned, making everyone else snicker quietly. "Not that kind of exercise. Just get on your feet, everyone, up up up, and make your pokeballs their normal size." Everyone stood up and did as they were told, Vincent, Sammie, and Hunter having a little bit more trouble. After being shown really quickly how to do it, they tried again and got it easily. Vincent blushed a little. "I wasn't raised by trainers. My parents are rangers, so I'm wicked with a capture device but give me one of these things and I'm almost useless." Their Mum waved it off. "It's nothing, really. That's why we do this exercise instead of just getting a move on to our survival type assignments. It's good to know who knows what so that we can get everyone on the same page."

"Alright, let's see what pokemon everyone caught as their starters! Everyone here has their pokedex, which is given to them when they are 10, so be sure to register any pokemon that you have not seen before! Sometimes it can come in handy, especially in future team building." Nobody moved after that. They weren't really sure what to do. Should they all throw at once, or maybe they should do it one at a time? Their Pop huffed. "Just toss them. One, two, three, GO!" Meri was shocked from the suddenness of his outburst, so she flung the pokeball away, only remembering to push the button because it was a reflex. Her drifloon popped out, looking disoriented as it bobbed this way and that to see where it was. On the ground around it stood different pokemon of every shape and size. Hunter's farfetch'd was there, and (as she had guessed) John's growlithe. A bright ponyta shied away from Sammie before it remembered who she was and nuzzled her hand. A lively skiddo circled around Zoe excitedly while a solosis rolled away from Vincent as he tried to hold it. Their Mum and Pop looked around, pride on their faces as they saw their "children" with their first pokemon.

"Okay, now, I want all of you to see if your pokemon will follow you if you walk away. They won't be going back into the pokeballs while we're on the route, so be sure that they don't run off." Meri looked at drifoon and tried moving to the right. It mirrored her movements. She smiled and jumped to the left, watching it as it bobbed its way in her direction again. Remembering that she hadn't logged it yet, she held up her wrist and pushed a button, hearing the pokedex's voice come out of the little speakers. "Drifloon, the balloon pokemon. It tugs on the hands of children to steal them away. However, it gets pulled around instead." Meri smiled and scrolled through the pokemon's stats and other information. It was indeed a male. "Come one, 'loon. Let's get going."


End file.
